Reviews

There are times in one’s life when the mullygrubs can kick in and turn into suicidal thoughts. Mullygrubs is a dark, brooding comedy examining the demands of modern living. Written and performed by Leah Filley and Harry Thompson, it was nominated for Best Theatre at the 2019 Melbourne Fringe, and is headed Adelaide Fringe.

Bran Nue Dae has achieved the rarest of feats for an entirely original Australian musical – a second national tour.  Previously this level of success had only been the domain of Australian written jukebox musicals.

This joyous production, filled with hummable tunes, endearing performances and quirky choreography hits the mark and justifies a consortium of Australian Opera companies decision to revive the work, first staged in 1990.

The first act felt a little lumpy – with the transition of song to dialogue not always seamless. 

A story that begins with the rivalry between two farmers.  One wins an auction and buys a foal he can ill afford – and the foal is a ‘hunter’, not a farm horse that could pull a wagon or a plough.  Nevertheless, the farmer’s son Albert (Scott Miller), only sixteen, calls the horse ‘Joey’ and the two are soul mates, bonded forever.  Suddenly it’s 1914 and there’s an urgent need for horses, thousands of them – and Joey is sold and gone.  And when Joey is gone, our hearts sink.  Albert is bereft, heartbroken, of cou

Twenty-one years after creating the landmark Who’s Afraid of the Working Class, four playwrights and a composer have come together again. The circumstances are different — they’re now firmly established as some of the country’s best writers and this time they’ve been commissioned by Melbourne’s Arts Centre rather than its Workers Theatre. The success of this play is also on a different level.